Grand Rapids board reviews plan for district-run online program with Imagine Edgenuity partner

District staff presented a proposal to the Grand Rapids Public School District board to create a district-affiliated online school using Imagine Edgenuity's curriculum and platform, aiming to recapture resident students currently homeschooled or enrolled elsewhere.

The presentation said the planned offering would include full-time online instruction for kindergarten through fifth grade and K–12 options at other levels, would be primarily asynchronous, and would start with an enrollment target of about 50 to 60 students districtwide in the first year. Staff described local on-site mentors (named in the meeting as Andy for secondary and Tom Clayton for elementary) and an enrollment coordinator, Christina, who would manage day-to-day liaison work with the vendor.

Why it matters: enrollment directly affects state and local revenue for the district. Staff framed the online program as a tool to retain and return resident students the district is not currently serving. Board members pressed for details on academic alignment, special-education services, assessment access and how the program would affect staffing and district finances.

Program design and supports: Staff said elementary courses will include offline workbooks, videos and scheduled teacher interaction windows; secondary offerings would allow a broader catalog of hundreds of courses. The vendor materials staff showed map lessons and activities to Minnesota academic standards and include benchmark testing and weekly progress updates. Staff noted that online students administered by a district would participate in Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCAs), enabling the district to compare online students’ performance with in‑person cohorts.

Special education and student supports: The presentation described a role for the district’s exceptional education coordinator to review documentation and work with the teacher of record to implement accommodations and modifications for students with IEPs or 504 plans. Staff said tutors, online tutoring, and an on-site mentor model would be used to monitor engagement and trigger interventions when students fall behind.

Curriculum alignment and transition concerns: Staff acknowledged the vendor’s curriculum is aligned to standards but “entirely different” in structure, which could make mid-year transitions difficult. Board members and other meeting participants raised concerns that curriculum differences could complicate hybrid moves between online and face-to-face programs.

Staffing and union concerns: Board members repeatedly asked about impacts on local teachers. Staff said Imagine Edgenuity’s model can scale toward increased local teacher involvement over time, but that with the district’s initial small enrollment targets there is not immediate scale for local teachers to “pick up” large portions of instruction. Multiple board members said teachers had expressed apprehension about online teaching after challenges during COVID. Staff recommended developing training and a handbook and said district teachers could take on more of the instruction as the program grows.

Finances and contract structure: Staff presented financial assumptions that included using a per-student revenue estimate in modeling; staff said the vendor contract includes licensing options that can be transferable and that a district could pay per enrolled student. In the presentation staff cited example per-student budget figures used in modeling: an illustrative average revenue figure of about $10,000 per pupil and contract-specific figures noted in the discussion of roughly $3,500 per secondary student and $3,700 per elementary student for portions of the vendor contract as discretionary revenue modeled. Staff emphasized these are model assumptions and that total fiscal impact will depend on final enrollment, licensing choices and which revenue streams are used.

Academic credentialing and activities: Staff said vendor courses include NCAA‑approved options where required so that students pursuing college athletics can meet credentialing requirements. Staff also said resident online students would graduate from the high school to which they are geographically assigned and could participate in school activities under district policy.

Implementation steps requested: Staff asked the board for direction to continue negotiations, enter into an agreement and return with a handbook and policy for consideration at the next board meeting. No formal vote was recorded during the discussion; staff said outreach with families and additional details would be prepared for board review.

Board concerns and next steps: Board members asked for clearer performance indicators, intervention timelines, examples of other Minnesota districts’ results, and a plan for teacher training and voluntary participation. Several board members urged a cautious, phased approach and emphasized monitoring data closely during the first year. Staff said they would bring revised materials, a draft handbook and contractual details back to the board for action.

Ending: Staff will continue work with Imagine Edgenuity on contract and operational details, develop a parent/family outreach plan and return to the board with a handbook and policy for formal consideration in a future meeting. No formal contract or program approval was finalized at this meeting.